Taos delivers support to Riverbed

“Taos fits well in our ecosystem as their approach to IT support services is in alignment with our overall support model.”

— Rich Hillebrecht, SVP-CIO & CISO, Riverbed

WHAT

As a global company with employees in over 40 countries, Riverbed, a leading application performance company, has experienced gaps in their staffing plan that require either technical expertise or IT management experience to be brought in on an interim basis. In addition, they needed help defining and implementing an overall security strategy. Difficulty identifying top tier technologists to support their security initiatives had left them without a consistent monitoring policy.

Needing a partner that they could develop a long-term relationship with, and who could provide assistance on a broad palette of initiatives, Riverbed chose Taos.

HOW

Riverbed has engaged Taos’ resources on a wide range of efforts – including executing infrastructure system remediation plans, undertaking targeted technology deployments, and development of RFP’s for Unified Communication Services, as well as CISO level advisory services and department management roles. By having a consistent relationship, Taos is able to quickly identify an appropriate resource to step in to these interim assignments and complete the objective in a timely manner.

To help with their security needs, Taos provided a security advisor to Riverbed leadership. The advisor consults with Riverbed on a weekly basis, helping to draw a bigger roadmap for the company, plus Taos provides them with security analysts, and security engineers and architects to help them develop a solution for monitoring and overall security.

NOW

Taos provides Riverbed with consistent access to some of the most experienced technical talent who are comfortable working with emerging technologies disrupting Silicon Valley. Riverbed views the relationship as one built on trust, stability, and the ongoing delivery of results over the years. As the relationship enters into its sixth year, there is a high degree of confidence that any engagement with Taos will yield positive results for Riverbed.

About Us

HOW IT all started at Taos

“Taos provides us access to some of the most experienced technical talent that is familiar with the latest technologies that flow from Silicon Valley. With their stability and the relationship of trust built over many years, there is a high degree of confidence that when we engage we are going to have a successful customer outcome for Riverbed.”

Working at Apple Computer in the late 1980’s, Ric Urrutia and Alexis Tatarsky observed a flawed interview process that resulted in several under-qualified independent contractors joining their team, as well as the disappointment that inevitably followed. Eager to find a better way to qualify and support the top technical contractors, Ric and Alexis came up with an idea for a new model, the foundation of Taos’ TIV (technical interview) process.

In 1989, they founded Taos as an IT consulting services provider focused on helping customers address how to get work done at the intersection of business and technology transformation. Using their proprietary TIV process to qualify technical talent, Taos brings deep, on-demand expertise to every engagement. We understand your urgency and passion, and take it on as our own. Over the years, Taos has added managed services and other service offerings to keep pace with the evolution of technology and the needs of our clients. We tackle the HOW of your biggest technology challenges, so you can get back to business.

The WHO behind the HOW: Our Executive Leadership Team

Ric Urrutia

CEO

Ric Urrutia has spent the last 25 years building Taos into one of Silicon Valley’s most respected and well-known technology services firms. Prior to starting the company, Urrutia helped Apple develop its first Unix implementation and worked as a technical manager and independent consultant for Olivetti and others. Industry leaders in the ever-changing tech world turn to Urrutia’s Taos first for expert advice regarding transformational, automation, and operational needs—his customers include major players like Uber, Facebook, Apple, and Vmware. Urrutia holds a BS in Computer Science from Universidad Francisco Marroquin in Guatemala City.

Hamilton Yu

COO

Hamilton Yu has spent over 20 years partnering with the Global 500 to solve complicated business challenges by integrating the latest technologies into best of breed solutions. Prior to Taos, Hamilton was the VP of Cloud Operations and Professional Services where he built, scaled, and optimized the Nuance Communications Global Cloud Customer Care Platform and Services handling over 100+ Fortune 500 customers globally in both the Public and Private Cloud. Hamilton previously led key teams within Microsoft that advanced the Microsoft Speech Platforms. At Tellme, Hamilton’s teams leveraged Cloud technology to create the first automated cloud voice solutions in the Retail as well as Telecom verticals. Hamilton started his technical career at Accenture where he worked with companies such as AT&T and Verizon to solve complex business challenges associated with rapidly growing ERP solutions. Hamilton Yu holds a MBA from the Haas School of Business as well as a BS from University of California Berkeley.

Mary Hale

CFO

Mary developed and manages Taos’ administrative infrastructure and financial processes and is responsible for the financial, legal, and human resource functions of the company. Prior to joining Taos in 1997, Mary held several financial management positions in the banking industry—most recently as Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer of Silicon Valley Bank. Prior to her career in banking, Mary was a CPA with Deloitte. She earned a BS in Accounting from San Jose State University.

Dan Roncadin

Chief Consultant

Dan has led strategic programs for many of Taos’ top clients including Facebook, Intuit, Seagate, and Juniper Networks since joining in 2010. He has an extensive background in both technology infrastructure and application development, having worked for large international financial institutions such as Barclays and CIBC. Dan has a degree from the University of Toronto, and also holds multiple patents for his work in developing optimized remote graphical interface technologies.

Patty Shrum

SVP of Managed Services

Patty is the architect of Taos Managed Services offering, focusing on building a team that provides clients with highest level of service. Patty works one-on-one with clients to develop customized solutions that will fit their business’s unique needs, along with overseeing day-to-day operations of the Taos Technical end-user service desk in Boise, Idaho. A Taoser since 2009, Patty was with Albertson’s for 22 years, where she advanced to Director of IT Technical Services and received the company’s CTO Award for Excellence in Execution. Previously, Patty managed IT client services and L2 operations for BMHC.

Trish Palumbo

VP of Talent Management

Trish serves as Taos’ VP of Talent Management, designing and leading the strategy for attracting, hiring, retaining, and developing top technical talent. Trish’s passion for cultivating technical talent has led her to collaborate with outside organizations such as St. Mary’s College, University of San Francisco, Year Up, and Girl Scouts of Northern California to design and deliver pertinent technical classes and programs for in-demand technical skills. She originally joined Taos during the height of the dotcom days and has since worked in a variety of roles that have consistently focused on aligning people, strategies, and programs to business objectives. Prior to moving to the Bay Area in 1998, Trish worked in Social Services and held administrative roles in New York City. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York.

Peter Newton

VP of Professional Services

Peter is the driving force behind our Professional Services offerings. With more than 20 years of experience in business development, general management, and technological enhancements. He is a thought leader in the field through his work with EDM and Nuance Communications, where he was responsible for the execution and delivery of technical services revenue as well world-wide ownership of the quality assurance team. Newton served as primary interface to numerous Fortune 500 clients and orchestrated and managed all key sales and delivery milestones.

Aditya Joglekar

VP of Sales

Aditya “D” Joglekar has more than 20 years of experience delivering IT, infrastructure, software development, and cloud services across private and public sectors. Prior to joining Taos, Joglekar led the Cloud Sales practice for QTS Data Centers as it established and grew its hyperscale presence and Hybrid IT services. Aditya played a key role in the launch and go-to-market of the cloud services offering, leading up to and following QTS’ IPO on the NYSE. Before QTS, Aditya led cloud pre-sales and solution architecture for Savvis, before, during, and after its acquisition by Centurylink. Joglekar’s earlier experiences at Deloitte and ACS/Xerox serving large-scale and mid-size companies were formative in his approach working with clients. Joglekar holds an MBA from the University of Memphis, and a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from Bucknell University.